Montérégie () is an administrative region in the southwest part of Quebec. It includes the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Dorion.
The region had a population of 1,507,070 as of the 2016 census and a land area of , giving it a population density of . With approximately 18.5% of the province's population, it is the second most populous region of Quebec after Montreal. The majority of the population lives near the Saint Lawrence River, on the south shore of Montreal.
Montérégie is known for its vineyards, orchards, maple trees, panoramas, and the Monteregian Hills. The region is both urban (second in terms of population in Quebec) and rural. The regional economy is based on agriculture and the production of goods and services. Tourism also makes up a significant portion of the economy.
History Jacques Cartier named Mont Royal in October 1535.The Voyages of Jacques Cartier [Original Diary]. By H.P. Biggar. F.A. Acland Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty: Ottawa 1924. p.155 Samuel de Champlain built several forts to protect the colonists against the Iroquois from south of the Great Lakes, and against the English, who were colonizing New England to the southeast.
The toponym comes from the Latinized form of Mount Royal, mons regius. Montérégie is named for the Monteregian Hills, which are, in turn, named for Mont Royal (English: Mount Royal). The term for naming the set of hills in the St. Lawrence Plain was originally created in 1903 in English by geologist Frank Dawson Adams to designate a new petrographic province.
Mount Royal on Montreal Island, although outside the Montérégie region, is one of the Monteregian Hills. In addition to Mount Royal, two other Montérégie hills are not located in Montérégie: Mount Mégantic, in Estrie, and the hills of Oka, in the Lower Laurentians.
Montérégie was populated by the St. Lawrence Iroquoian people when the French began to colonize here in the early 16th century. Later colonists found their villages abandoned, and the area controlled as hunting grounds by the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy based south of the Great Lakes.
Some of the later battles among the European-Canadians that decided the destiny of Canada took place in Montérégie. For instance, in the 1830s, ethnic French patriots rebelled against British government troops. The Province of Canada (also called a United Canada (French: Canada-Uni)) was formed through the Union Act in 1840 and February 1841, from the former provinces of Lower Canada and Upper Canada.
Originally, the administrative territory of the Montérégie parishes were taken from the territory of the canonical Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil.
Subregions The Montérégie has three administrative subregions, each consisting of its own regional county municipalities (RCM) or equivalent territories. The territorial administration of the region was conducted by three regional conferences of elected officers () (CRE) separate and independent in their territory:
Longueuil, Montérégie-Est (eastern RCMs) and Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent (western RCMs).
Each sub-region was organized in the same way as other administrative regions of Quebec.
Regional county municipalities
There are 12 regional county municipalities and one equivalent territory in Montérégie. In 2021, Brome-Missisquoi and La Haute-Yamaska transferred to Estrie.
Montérégie-Est As of 2021, there are seven RCMs in Montérégie Est. Its seat is McMasterville, and the president is Arthur Fauteux. Its territory occupies and there are 656,287 inhabitants, with a population density of .
Regional County Municipality (RCM) PopulationCanada 2016 Census Land Area Density(pop. per km) Seat of RCM Acton 15,594 26.9 Acton Vale La Vallée-du-Richelieu 124,420 211.4 McMasterville Le Haut-Richelieu 117,443 125.5 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Les Maskoutains 87,099 66.9 Saint-Hyacinthe Marguerite-D'Youville(formerly Lajammerais until January 2011) 77,550 224.1 Verchères Pierre-De Saurel(formerly La Bas-Richelieu until January 2009) 51,025 85.4 Sorel-Tracy Rouville 36,536 75.6 Marieville
Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent There are five RCMs in Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent. Its seat is Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, and its president is Yves Daoust. Its territory occupies and there are 435,436 inhabitants, with a population density of . Regional County Municipality (RCM) PopulationCanada 2016 Census Land Area Density(pop. per km) Seat of RCM Beauharnois-Salaberry 64,320 136.5 Beauharnois Le Haut-Saint-Laurent 22,454 19.1 Huntingdon Les Jardins-de-Napierville 27,870 34.7 Napierville Roussillon 171,443 404.5 Saint-Constant Vaudreuil-Soulanges 149,349 174.6 Vaudreuil-Dorion
Equivalent territory Equivalent Territory (ET) PopulationCanada 2016 Census Land Area Density(pop. per km) Seat of ET Agglomeration of Longueuil 415,347 1,471.80 Longueuil
Indian reserves The population of both of these reserves are majority-Mohawk, one of the historic Five Nations of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois League. Kahnawake was established south of Montreal in 1719 as a mission village. Akwesasne was established upriver by Mohawk leaders and their families in the mid-18th century, accompanied by French Jesuit missionaries. Akwesasne spans the boundaries of Canada and the United States, extending across the St. Lawrence River into New York State, where it is referred to as the St. Regis Reservation. Akwesasne (part) Kahnawake
Major communities Beloeil Boucherville Brossard Candiac Chambly Châteauguay La PrairieLongueuil Mont-Saint-Hilaire Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville Saint-Constant Saint-Hyacinthe Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-LambertSaint-Lazare Sainte-Catherine Sainte-Julie Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Sorel-Tracy Varennes Vaudreuil-Dorion
References
External links
Portail régional de la Montérégie Official website Site officiel de la CRÉ de Longueuil Site officiel de la CRÉ de la Montérégie-Est Site officiel de la CRÉ de la Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de la Montérégie